It’s getting to be that time of year again when I crave warm tea with cozy spices like cinnamon and ginger.

It’s nice to have a chai option that is also caffeine free as most are made with black tea. The first thing I noticed about this tea is that although the usual chai spices definitely stand out, I can still taste the earthy Rooibos. I’ve had a few other chai rooibos blends and usually the spices kind of takeover. I’m enjoying my delicious chai with a splash of coconut milk and a little brown sugar.

All I had was brown sugar and it actually goes really well with the tea! This would be a wonderful dessert tea since it is caffeine. But it’s also a nice tea to have in the morning. The spices help wake up your senses, and it’s a nice gentle way to bring on your day.

This is also safe for those who don’t like really sharp, spicy Chai blends. This has flavor, but it’s definitely on the gentle side. I really enjoyed this tea, and I love to have Chai in the winter.

This will definitely be in my regular rotation. This tea is also organic, free of pesticides, and fair trade which makes it taste even better in my opinion!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Rooibos

Description

Masala chai (“spiced tea”) is a beverage from the Indian subcontinent made by brewing tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs. By itself, chai is merely the generic word for tea in Hindi and many other languages around the world, and was adopted into British slang as “cha” or “char”. The added ginger and other spices give the Rooibos tea some warm and spicy taste nice in the cold evenings with milk and honey but also loved by many at any time of the day.

I’m always super excited when I find Chai tea that is caffeine free. And when it’s made with rooibos or redbush tea it’s even better. Rooibos tea is so healthy, but drinking it plain isn’t always my favorite. But Chai spices definitely help mask the earthiness of plain rooibos. I brewed this tea and added a little raw sugar and a splash of coconut milk.

It’s a very mellow Chai, not spicy at all. This is the perfect tea for someone who isn’t a huge fan of spice. It’s a very soothing and warming chai, with all of the spices kind of blending together, nothing stands out or is too much.

Since this is caffeine free it’s also perfect to drink anytime of the day. It would be a really tasty after dinner tea.

I like that all of the ingredients including the spices are organic. This chai has redbush tea, cinnamon quills, cardamom pods, cloves, ginger, black pepper and lemongrass. Even though that seems like a lot of spices, as I mentioned it’s very mellow. I could still definitely taste the earthiness of the rooibos tea. So, if you like rooibos and chai, this is definitely the tea for you.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Rooibos

Where to Buy: Steenberg’s

Description

Steenbergs Organic Redbush Chai Tea combines with a delicious blend of Steenbergs organic spices with organic redbush tea to create our own wonderful organic redbush chai tea. You brew Steenbergs Organic Redbush Chai Tea in the same way as normal chai tea and can add sugar, honey or milk to taste.

Snowy days always make me want to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chai and a really good movie. Come to think of it, every day makes me want to do that i’m not going to lie. So even though there is a raging blizzard outside, not much has changed I suppose. Tea, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings is my favorite way to relax when I’m not chasing after my 7 month old daughter! So what better way to use my free time than to dig into the awesome tea swap blends that I received the other day?

I used to like chai a lot more than I do today. I used to order chai lattes like they were going out of style! Its interesting how your tastes change, especially when you are constantly trying new flavors when it comes to tea. The reason why I am no longer a huge fan of chai at this point in my tea-journey is because I don’t really like things to be spicy or hot. You know those red cinnamon candies? Yeah, I hate those. I don’t like hot cinnamon and I feel like a lot of chai’s taste this way, they just are too spiced. So in order to “wow” me by your chai blend, it cant be too overpowering.

When I received my first ever tea swap package and I saw Roasted Almond Chai by Fava Tea Company, I was intrigued. I love anything with nuts, especially almond. Ive never had a nut chai before. Ive had cinnamon chai and vanilla chai…but not almond chai. I could imagine that it is pretty delicious though, cinnamon and almond tend to go very well together. So, I opened up the sample bag and could smell the delicious sweet and nutty almond and chai spices. Yum! This stuff smells like Christmas. I brewed up a cup and took a sip. Not going to lie, the chai spices are very present. However, the sweet almond tones them down so they really aren’t overpowering. Fava did a great job with the almond flavor in this one. It isn’t artificial, it is sweet and nutty.

This is a rooibos blend, so the woodiness from the rooibos mingles well with nutty almond and chai spices. It is a delectable cup that is great for a snowy evening! I wish they made a black tea version so that I could drink it throughout the day for a caffeine boost, but it is just as good as an after-dinner dessert tea. If you like Forever Nuts by DAVIDsTEA and if you like chai, you will definitely like this blend. It honestly tastes like a chai and Forever Nuts had a baby and that baby was named Roasted Almond Chai! I definitely suggest you check this out.

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping.
I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

It’s described on the company’s website as a delightful vanilla rooibos chai. They also mention that its an outstanding alternative when brewed in apple juice or cranberry juice. Now THIS I might have to try in the near future! But first straight-up, stand-alone, as-is, by itself!

Less is more with the ingredients in this one as it only contains Rooibos, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, red pepper, bruised peppercorns, vanilla. As you can see many of your stereotypical chai spices but paired with a naturally caffeine-free red rooibos base making it ideal for evenings!

I would say that the red rooibos is the primary flavor in this one then you can taste the mishmash of spices followed by the sweet, smooth, and creamy vanilla. Overall I did like this chai alternative but it wouldn’t have been the same if it was missing the vanilla. It’s what seemed to make it all come full circle! YUM!

Co-Founder/Co-Creator of Sororitea Sisters at Sororitea Sisters
Jennifer (TeaEqualsBliss) is in her upper 30s and lives in the eastern snowbelt area of the US with her husband, 3 dogs, and cat (however the number of furkids can change at anytime as she LOVES providing a forever home for many shelter animals. Her several interests include music, movies, veganism, sports, traveling, collecting Baseball Cards and Unicorns, Radio, Computers, Crafting, and of course…TEA. She started drinking tea at the tender age of 3 thanks to her Grandmother and her love for tea has gotten stronger with each year! In addition to being a co-founder/co-creator of Sororitea Sisters - her main site is MyBlissfulJourney.com. Find out more about Jennifer on MyBlissfulJourney.com.

“Ready to savor in a moment” says the packaging, and it’s true: this tea is in a finely ground powder form, just mix it in your mug with hot water or milk and it’s ready to drink. I used the recommended ratio on the packaging, using a teaspoon of sweetener, and 50/50 hot water and hot (almond) milk. I used a stronger serving of the tea powder because I like my chai extra spicy. The powder is a rich, dark brown, smelling strongly of cloves and cinnamon. In the hot brew, the ginger brings its trademark heat and cardamom adds a pop of herbal warmth. It’s everything I want from a chai: the warm and spicy Christmas flavors, and since it’s rooibos, it’s decaf so I can drink it any time of day.

For future brewing, I would treat this like I do matcha, sifting the powder first for the smoothest blend, and whisking it to add a bit of foam on top. I always feel like it’s a challenge to get a chai spicy enough for my tastes, and this powdered tea style makes it easy to bring the heat. I might give this a try with hot water, no milk, and a slice of orange as an alternative brewing style. I just got a sample size of this tea to try it out, but I’ll have to order a full bag of rooibos masala chai from a Blue Lotus Chai sometime soon!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Red Rooibos (ground)

Where to Buy: Blue Lotus Chai

Description:

100% Certified organic and caffeine-free, our Rooibos Masala Chai appeals to a broad cross-section of customers. It has a similar taste profile to our Traditional Masala Chai, but with the delightful base of naturally sweet and nutty rooibos. Those who cannot or wish to not drink a caffeinated chai, can freely indulge in their favorite BLC drink.

Growing up, I drank herbal teas like fresh ginger tea during New England's harsh winters and iced blueberry tea during its humid summers. Over time, I was tempted into trying a wider variety of loose leaf teas by the fandom-themed blends available online. I have since gone on to design my own blends, and I greatly enjoy drafting up flavor ideas and drawing tea labels.
When I'm not thinking about tea I can be found reading novels and comic books, playing video games, or watching movies; my favorite genres being history, humor, sci-fi, and fantasy.
Generally, I prefer bold teas: spicy chais, rich black teas, even smoky lapsang souchong on occasion. But I have also dabbled in herbal rooibos, flavored oolongs, and traditional matcha. I'm glad to be expanding my palette by tasting and reviewing new teas and blends.
Find me on Steepster: http://steepster.com/A2shedsjackson
Fandom blends: http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/list.html?userId=292149